One Blind Mouse
by HopelessParanoidRomantic
Summary: Dib sneaks into Zim's lab full of overconfidence. Unfortunately, Zim has laid a little trap for him...
1. One Blind Mouse

    (AN)Here we are, just a little idea that popped into my head. I've written out some more things for this, and I haven't quite decided how it's going to end yet, but this chapter is up for your viewing. Hopefully this will help clear out my head of some ideas so I can focus on new ones. 

**One Blind Mouse**

    "This is it," Dib whispered to himself. He was barely able to contain the adrenaline rushing through him. It was the same feeling every time he snuck into Zim's base. There was the sitting all day in skool as the clock struck each wonderful, agonizing second; drawing him closer to the night. The time spent preparing his equipment after skool, maybe watching an episode of Mysterious Mysteries to try and keep his mind from becoming overly giddy. Then, finally, he would deem it the right time and head out.     Sitting in the bushes across from Zim's house, he'd carefully scan the area. His gaze was so intense, so focused, he could spot ants moving on Zim's doorstep, and he would have sworn he could count them all and name their species, too. Such was his confidence in himself and his attention to detail. That's what would win this war against Zim - not superior technology or strength, but attention to detail.     If he could map out everything the alien did, how he did it, _why_ he did it....then he could predict anything Zim would throw at him. His victory would be assured.     And now those thoughts made Dib restless. He shuffled his feet, tensed and relaxed groups of muscles, testing their readiness. His observation of the house led him to believe Zim was inside, but GIR had left about fifteen minutes ago - leaving the door wide open...     Dropping the binoculars, he raced quickly across the street, then along the row of fence until he reached Zim's walkway. The safe path through the gnomefield had been burned into his brain long ago, and he swiftly moved through them, not even needing to think about it. He stayed low to the ground, keeping out of the sensor paths. He made it to the door and placed his back firmly against the wall beside it. He held his breath.     Adrenaline made his entire system sharpen. It tingled as it awaited his orders, but he stood, listening carefully. Only the sounds of the TV could be heard. It was rare that Zim sat silently in front of the TV, especially if the door was wide open. Deeming it safe, Dib peered around the corner. He spotted no Zim and nothing out of the ordinary. Entering the house, he quietly closed the door, knowing that if Zim had an alarm hooked to that it would now be shut off; Zim would merely think GIR had come back, and Dib could continue unworried.     But he was more clever than that. He moved by the wall of the living room, sliding along it, staying behind objects as much as possible, just in case. In the past, he'd tried to quickly sneak in and go as far down in the labs as possible. He had always been caught. Thinking his strategy over, he had decided the slow and cautious might work better. Since then he'd been able to sneak in and out of the main level twice and into the first level of lab once. He'd then bragged to Zim the next day at skool, but the alien didn't believe he could have done it. That proved to him that his new strategy was correct - and he had smirked at the alien before walking off.     He smirked now as he went to a secret entrance into Zim's lab. He wouldn't take the elevator. There was a chance that it would alert Zim it was moving. Instead, he found the entrance that merely led to a ladder of sorts. Dib suspected it was in case of power outtages or something. He quickly made his way to the first lab-level. Once there, he hid again behind a large piece of machinery and listened carefully.     It was so tedious... All this caution ate away at him, making him long for a chance to just jump out and yell "I'm _here_, alien! What do you think of _that_?" But that wouldn't help him win in the long run. He needed to be patient, even if it did make anxiousness build in his stomach until he thought he would have to throw up just to ease the pain of holding it in.     No strange sounds...just machinery. He took a deep breath as he finally began moving again. His muscles quivered with anticipation of what he might find. He knew this level held only computers with basic functions and a room that Dib hadn't been able to gain access to. He'd taken his time on his first visit and made a little map of this level. Since he'd studied that map at home, he easily made his way through to the next ladder entrance. From there he moved down to the second lab level.     "Wow.." he whispered, noticing a few very large computers and screens. For a moment he just stood there in awe, then he heard a little clanking noise and dove behind a computer console, silently cursing himself for letting his guard down like that. He sat, trying to listen for any signs of the Irken... Unfortunately, he was getting a little bored. It was a thrill to sneak into Zim's lab, but he almost felt like it wasn't a challenge anymore. I mean, here he was - Level 2 - and no opposition whatsoever. Thankfully there was still the desire to see the Irken technology, to try and discover exactly how much knowledge Zim had.     Dib pulled a CD out of his bag and peered around the edge of his hiding space. No sign of movement. No sign of the Irken. He quickly moved to the computer and began pressing keys. His knowledge of computers allowed him to find basic things, even if everything was in Irken. Unfortunately, he couldnt read the file names...     He popped the CD in anyway and began copying things to it. It didn't matter what; anything would help him figure out Irken writing at home. He continued looking around, being very careful of every noise, every movement, and even the very changes in the air flow of the room. There was no way he wanted to get caught this far down.     But each second that went by his confidence grew. He had made it into the lab, was copying data, and Zim had no clue.     'Oh yeah..I'm the superior one alright..' Dib's mind congratulated him. He began to grow more at ease in the room. The adrenaline began to fall, leaving just his normal curiosity. The thing Dib forgot to realize was - with the adrenaline went the sharpened senses. He was still listening a little, but he'd stopped looking around. His mind had also slowed down. Instead of running through all the possible emergencies and escape routes it focused on what data he might be copying.     He began to think Zim wasn't home at all as he slipped the now full CD back into his bag. Still, it wouldn't do to go down further this time. That hadn't been part of his original plan. And if he got caught it would end his bragging rights. He walked to the ladder, not quite stupid enough to try the elevator just yet. On the first level, he didn't even bother to stop and listen. He just walked on through, hands in his jean pockets. He climbed the final stairs up to the house. Upon leaving the ladder, he stood up and froze.     "Hello, **DIB**." Zim said with an evil smirk. "Nice night for espionage, isn't it?"     Dib just took a step backwards. The doors and windows now had metal over them. Zim stood with his arms crossed in the middle of the room, tons of lights arranged behind him.     "It's also a nice night," Zim added. "For a game. A game of... _cat and mouse_."     Dib started to step back again, but the lights behind Zim suddenly grew impossibly bright. Pain seared through Dib's eyes, and he brought his hands up to cover them. It was too late, though. He'd been temporarily blinded. He then felt something pressed against his forehead - the small spot right above his nose. It dug in sharply, and he cried out as he fell backwards. Adrenaline was racing through him again, but this time his mind too overloaded with fear to think logically. His muscles waited for his orders, quivering in preparation. All he could do was back up until he hit the wall. He clawed at his forehead, feeling the little metallic thing embedded there. He pulled at it, hearing Zim's insane laughter fill the room. Suddenly there was a current of air on him. He felt a hand land on his shoulder, the other one taking hold of the metal piece.     "Only I prefer _blind_ mice." Zim said evilly. He pulled on the metallic thing, ripping it from Dib's forehead. The boy let out a loud cry of pain and raised a hand, feeling the blood flowing out. He felt it getting in his eyes, but it didn't matter. They weren't working anyway. He tried glancing every which way; his hands moved over his eyes as he tried to find if they were even _open_. Finally his surroundings of complete darkness and Zim's evil laughter made it clear that what he feared was true - the alien had _blinded_ him. 


	2. See How He Runs

    (AN)Miracle of all miracles - My computer came back with all my files okay. Doens't that beat all? Just when you think everything in the world is gone to hell, there's one little redeeming factor. Of course, this doesn't help my insomnia or lack of appetite or spontaneous headaches or stomach pains or ear aches or the fact that I have two giant research papers due and I have creative writer's block...     

Anyway, I figured I could at least post this up here since it was already written out. I have another chapter or two done, but they need to be spell-checked and stuff. Plus I'm real busy. This doesn't mean I'm writing stuff again, so don't hope for much. But here's this at least. 

**See How He Runs**

    Dib was shaking, sternly commanding his body not to throw up or pass out. His mind desperately wondered why Zim hadn't finished him off yet. The laughing had stopped...Where _was_ Zim now?     The answer came when his shirt was grabbed. He was dragged across the room and suddenly lifted up by his shirt.     "_**Run**_, Dib." Zim whispered, the insane pleasure rolling out of his mouth with the words. Cold needles pricked all the way up Dib's spine. He was dropped, and his arm hit painfully on the side of a tube. He fell through it quickly, banging against the sides and finally falling out and hitting the ground roughly. He stood up and started to run, banging into something and stumbling around it.     "Run, Dib, run..." Zim's voice called out again, followed by another laugh. It echoed everywhere, Dib thought he could feel the walls shake with it.     'He must be using a speaker system,' Dib's mind cried out. 'How could his laugh be _that LOUD_.'     He continued running until he hit a wall. Moving along it, his hands found a small area where it indented. He quickly sat down there, trying to curl himself into the tiniest object possible.     "Oh, come on," Zim said, half with anger and half with amusement. "If you pick such an _open_ place, the game's no fun."     Dib gasped and scrambled out of his spot. He knocked over a few large objects and fell over them, hitting his stomach on a sharp corner of something. Getting up, he whipped his head from side to side as if desperately trying to see what was there. He felt warm liquid on his face, but he didn't know if it was blood or tears. Losing his sight had made his whole system lost. No longer were his ears sharply attuned to movement. He was making too much noise on his own for that anyway. His foot caught in something, and he fell forward, just catching himself with his hands. Feeling by his foot, he realized it was a handle. Lifting it, he found another little tunnel. He quickly headed down, not caring where it led.     The tunnel ended, and he began sliding along the wall again. Zim's voice boomed forth once more, causing him to jump and lose his balance. He fell on his stomach and raised his arms over his head as if trying to block that penetrating voice.     "To make things more interesting, I'm going to give you a _chance_, pitiful _Dib_." Zim told him through the speaker system. "I won't be using the house's computer to find you. I'll be hunting on my own."     'Hunting?' Dib's mind repeated. He shivered with the thought of himself as prey. That wasn't the way this story was supposed to go....     "The lab has 10 levels open to you." Zim continued. "But don't think I'm the only threat you have in them. You have five minutes to prepare a strategy for yourself, then _we begin_."     Another laugh filled the air. Dib felt his stomach churn at that vile sound. There had been a time when he'd questioned Zim's plans and whether or not the alien was really all that cruel, but any doubts he had were eliminated in the reverberating sound of that laugh. He crawled along the floor until he found something that seemed to be the shape of a desk. He crawled under it, pulling something in front of it's opening. There he sat, catching his breath. His whole body shook, and he felt as if he was loosing control of it. All his mind kept giving him was 'You have to pee,' 'You're going to throw up', 'I feel sick'...     'Think, Dib, _THINK_.' he told himself. He had only a few minutes.     'I don't know anything about Zim's base except for the first couple levels. I don't know what level I'm on. There can't be more than ten levels...'     He carefully moved out of his hiding place, stopping again to actually listen. Strange, but it was so much harder now. When he was sneaking in, _he_ was the predator. Listening was easy then. It was him being clever, being smarter than Zim to listen so carefully. Now it was a matter of survival.     He quickly crawled back the way he had come, finding the ladder fairly easily. He started to climb when a voice told him 'Zim could be up there.'     He froze. If Zim had known where he was hiding up there, then Zim may still be on that level. There'd be no way of knowing...     'I can't freeze up like this,' he told himself. 'I can't let Zim win. If I only know the top levels, I have to get there. I'd have to get there eventually anyway to get out. Zim or no Zim, I _have_ to go up.'     As he left the ladder, he held his breath and listened carefully. Every noise made his heart miss a beat, but he stayed frozen in his spot. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he thought if he made no movement, he'd be overlooked. It was stupid, but his mind wasn't rational enough right then to tell him that. Any possible advantage he could get, he would take.     Soon the sounds of the room began to get familiar, and he knew them to be machinery and things. He moved slowly again, being as quiet as possible.     "Time's UP, _human_." Zim announced. Dib leapt at the statement, his back hitting a wall hard. He gasped in air, his knees shaking badly. Forgetting for the moment to be cautious, he began running. After bumping into several large things, he finally tripped over something and once again fell, this time hitting his face on the metal floor. Reaching up a hand, he found his lip had been split open. He ignored it and examined what he'd tripped over. Only a cord.     'Waitaminnit,' his mind shouted. 'A cord means something for the cord to control.'     He quickly crawled his way along the cord, reaching the computer at the end. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled the cord out of the back of the computer. There were a few loud whirring noises, then even a couple crashes.     "yes" he whispered happily. Maybe he'd disabled something important, something that would cause Zim such trouble that he could escape-     "Bad move, Dib." Zim's voice taunted. "Now I know what level you're on."     "Oh shit" Dib whispered. He took off running again. His mind momentarily questioned the fact that Zim had promised not to use the computer. It would have been the one to alert him of this level's problems.     'Can I really believe what Zim said, though?' he told himself in reply. All this while he'd been bumping into things, moving along walls when he could find them. The fear in him had begun to settle now, and he felt as if he was in a dream, that Zim would never catch him because Zim was just a dream Zim. He had the feeling that he would get out of this with no problem and go home and his father would fix his eyes and -     He was punched. He ran right into it, and the force made him fly backwards. Pain was shooting through his already sore jaw, but it wasn't enough to keep him from scooting backwards as fast as possible. A loud whish, followed by a clinking and thud behind him made him realize Zim had moved. Hands gripped his shoulders tightly, claws digging in to him through his clothes. He was picked up and thrown forward, hitting some kind of crate and knocking it over as he fell back to the ground.     "Really, Earth-stink." Zim said. "I'm a bit disappointed. I had expected this to be...more of a challenge."     Dib's anger began to overwhelm his fear as he heard the calm, condescending tone Zim was using. His mind focused all it's energy for a moment and he tried to pinpoint Zim's position by his voice. As Zim finished his statement, Dib lunged forward, swinging out and feeling his fist connect with something that gave way. He smiled in deep satisfaction as he heard the growl Zim gave and the sound of the alien hitting the ground. He backed up quickly, feeling the rush of air as Zim leapt towards him. Knowing there was no other way to exactly keep track of the Irken at all times, Dib moved forward, wrapping his arms around Zim. The alien squirmed and growled and yelled at him to keep his "filthy human hands OFF" but Dib held on. He moved a hand at a time, ignoring as Zim's claws dug into his arms. He finally got his hands around Zim's neck, pulling as hard as possible and knocking them both to the floor.     "LET **GO**!" Zim screamed at him. He felt a fist connect with the side of his head, another with his shoulder. A food kicked the side of his leg, but he held on. He knew if he let go, Zim would be able to attack him by surprise again.     Unable to really aim, he did the next best thing and felt his way along, pushing his hand down firmly on the Irken's throat. A wave of satisfaction went through him when Zim's sounds cut off. A fist came up and hit his ribs roughly, knocking him off balance. He reached up and grabbed Zim's head. Finding an antennae there, he pulled on it as hard as he could. There was a very loud cry, and the Irken kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling away. He jumped up quickly, prepared to defend, but he heard the sound of something moving away. It sounded like more than two feet, though, and with little tapping sounds.     He stood there, breathing hard and senses stretched to their fullest. After a few moments, he decided Zim wasn't going to attack.     'Maybe I really hurt him?' he thought. He made a mental note that Zim's antennae were sensitive and began moving again. At first he thought he should follow where Zim had gone. It probably lead to some kind of way to get out of this level, but it _was_ where Zim had gone.     Dib decided to go the opposite direction. He wandered around for a little bit until he found a door. Searching the sides of it, he found a button. The door opened, and he carefully moved inside. It seemed to be another tube, but there were no buttons anywhere.     "What is this thing?" he whispered, forgetting for the moment to be quiet.     "It's an elevator. DUH." the computer told him. He jumped at the sound, but was then very happy with the news.     "Take me to the house level." he said.     "I..don't think I'm supposed to..." the computer said. Dib was a little dumbfounded.     "Please?" he asked quietly.     "...aw, alright." the computer responded. It began moving, making intermittent click sounds which Dib assumed to mean the levels. They went past 7 of them. Then the elevator stopped.     "Storage Level 1" it announced.     "But I said house level."     "House level is off-limits."     Dib stepped out of the elevator, figuring that this was at least better than where he had been. He began bumping into numerous large boxes, and it finally occured to him to look through them. He found many parts that he couldn't identify, but he finally stumbled across something the shape of a gun. He ran his fingers over it carefully, trying to decide how it would fire. He knew it wouldn't be wise to attract attention to himself again, but he had to test it. He took careful aim at nothing in particular and pulled the trigger. He felt a slight kick in the gun, only enough to move his hand, and heard something like a laser. Across the room, he heard a crash.     'At least it works,' he thought, feeling much more confident now. With his victory over Zim in the hand to hand combat, and now armed with a weapon, he felt he might still get out of this. He quickly tucked the gun inside his trenchcoat. No need for Zim to see it just yet. He then continued searching the crates.     At the end of his search, he'd found another gun and a rather sharp knife which had cut his finger. He hid all of them in his clothes and moved on. A strange sound made him duck down in the only small space he could find. He prayed it wasn't out in the open.     There were a few steps, which Dib could identify as Zim's. He breathed as quietly as possible and reached for a gun. The footsteps stopped, and Dib's breathing followed.     'What's he doing?' Dib thought. 'Why did he stop? Has he seen me? Is he preparing to attack?' The thought made his insides shake and his legs twitch. 'But what if he doesn't see me? What if he's going to leave?' Could he really risk it? His lungs ached for air, and he began taking deep, slow breaths quietly. He longed to move, to just run out and then at least _know_ that Zim saw him. This uncertainty, this _not **knowing**_...that was what caused Dib the most distress. After all his careful study, he still didn't know how the alien thought...     'Or do I?' his mind said. He still hadn't heard any footsteps, so he snickered. Not loud or long, just a short little snicker, as if he was laughing at the alien's stupidity. The footsteps started again, then stopped. He waited. If he snickered again too soon, Zim might catch on. He waited instead, making his breathing ony slightly louder. There were a few more footsteps, a pause, more footsteps. Dib couldn't really pinpoint them.     'He's searching for me..' he thought as he pulled out a gun. If those footsteps got close enough....     His foot slipped out of position, making a scuffing sound on the floor. Immediately he froze, but it was too late. He heard the crates near him topple over. A couple hit him as he scrambled up. Something grabbed his arm, turning him around. He whipped the laser gun around and fired, feeling the thing above him move. Scrambling to his feet, he heard shuffling steps a little ways from him, then a metal clank, then nothing.     "Perhaps you aren't quite so disappointing after all." Zim said. Dib tried to pinpoint the voice, but it sounded like..the ceiling? That couldn't be right.     Something landed on him, and he felt the gun being pulled from his hand. He yanked the trigger, firing a couple shots, but evidently not hitting anything important. The gun was ripped away, and he thought he heard something hit the floor on the other side of the room. He was once again held up by his shirt. At first he tried to pry Zim's hand off, then he waited, knowing he needed to be on guard. He began to reach into his trenchcoat for the other gun. 

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	3. He Ran for His Life in the Dead of Night

  
  
(AN)I was sure I had posted the third chapter of this before...Whoops, I guess.

**He Ran for His Life in the Dead of Night**

He began to reach for the other gun, but stopped...   
Zim wasn't attacking. That almost scared Dib more. He couldn't think of any reason for Zim not to attack.   
"I think I'd like this game to continue." came the answer, whispered cruelly from the unseen alien. Dib was released and hit the floor roughly.   
"This is the highest level you can get to." Zim informed him. That same damn _patronizing_ tone. "I'm going to get a snack. You have until then to hide yourself again."   
Dib heard the footsteps going away from him. He reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out the other gun, firing in the direction of the alien. He kept firing, even though he only heard a yell at the beginning. Suddenly he was hit in the back of the head. He fell forward, stunned. Something crunched down on his hand. He figured it was Zim's boot, and the gun was removed.  
"Very resourceful, Earth-monkey." Zim stated, his voice seeming to drip venom. Dib was flipped over onto his back, and he felt hands running along the inside of his coat. His head hurt, and he felt as if everything was spinning. Even the darkness seemed to swirl around him. The hands were removed, evidentally satisfied with their search.   
Footsteps once again moved away from him, but he just lay on the floor. After the room had been silent for a few moments he forced himself to sit up. He had to keep moving. His first thought was to go up, even if Zim had said it was impossible. Once against a wall, he moved somewhat clumsily along it. He was still shaky from fear, and the adrenaline could only push him so far before his system began shutting down. More than once, he thought of just sitting down and waiting until Zim got back. Maybe the alien would let him go, content with a victory and eager to play again another day. He hadn't shown much conviction with killing the human so far today...   
'No. I can't assume anything.' Dib told himself, once more beginning to move. He found a ladder tunnel and thanked the gods as he climbed up it. But when he reached the top he found it closed off with some kind of heavy metal. He smashed his fist into it angrily, feeling his knuckles crack against it. A couple small sobs escaped him.   
'So this is it then...' he thought. 'A final battle. Kill...or be killed.' He climbed down the ladder then and began searching the boxes once more. It soon became apparent that finding weapons would take too long. He moved as well as he could back to the elevator, a little surprised when he actually found it.   
"Oh, where do you wanna go now?" the computer whined.   
"Anywhere." Dib replied.   
"Um...okay." the computer said as it began going down. It stopped on a level, and Dib stepped out. He immediately began searching for a hiding spot, not sure of what else to do. Then he found another computer. An idea suddenly struck him, and he pulled the cords from the back of the computer terminal. Then he ran, tripping a couple times, back to the elevator.   
"To any other level with a working computer." Dib said. The computer groaned, but obeyed. Dib stumbled out on the new level and cautiously moved forward. This room had loud noises. It would be harder to hear Zim approaching...   
That thought made him more nervous, and he moved slower. He wasn't sure where the computer was in this room. Things seemed to feel different. He wasn't sure how he could tell, but he suddenly had a feeling that there was much more space in this area. With each step he grew more and more nervous.   
'Why aren't I hitting anything?' he wondered. He hesitated on his next step.   
"I'd stop there if I was you." Zim said smugly. Dib froze and lowered his foot.   
"Why?" he asked, hating how small his voice sounded.   
"That's the end of the walkway."   
Dib swallowed hard and slid his foot out. Sure enough, in a few inches his foot slid off the edge of a walkway. He stepped back quickly.   
"You're pathetic plan is incredibly predictable." Zim continued with an ego-maniacal tone. Dib turned, suddenly afraid to even run for his life.   
"Going after computers?" Zim taunted. "I figured you'd end up here. This does have the house's main computer."   
Dib inwardly patted himself on the back for finding that bit of information out. It could help later on.   
"In fact you're only a few feet from it," Zim told him. Dib turned to the side opposite the walkway edge. "But I wouldn't go near it. One jolt of that electricity should be enough to fry your gooey insides to a _crisp_."   
Dib's body shuddered. He suddenly realized how dangerous this level could be...   
Something landed heavily in front of him, producing a current of air that he felt only a second before the punch to his stomach. He stumbled backwards, and another fist connected with his face, sending him to the ground. His hand landed on nothing but air, and he slid as far from there as possible, stumbling back to his feet. He bumped into something and put his hand down to steady himself. There were things on what must have been a table. He picked one of them up and threw it. The sound of a quick footstep showed him he'd aimed fairly well. He threw another object, then another, trying to predict Zim's path. A third object was hurtled through the air and there was a large sound like electricity discharging. It had a crackle like lightning and a zapping sound, combined with Zim screaming.   
"No. NO! Not now! Not to ZIM!"   
Dib didn't care what was happening. He fell to his knees and crawled forward, using his hands to search for the edge of a walkway. Each time he found it he turned away. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever find an exit when suddenly his face was slammed down into the metal. It was then pulled up by his hair. He felt Zim's breath blow on his ear, hot as the anger the Irken seemed to exude.   
"Only a minor setback," he announced. "Because, unlike you, I can still see."   
Dib wasn't sure what the minor setback was, but he definitely knew the Irken wasn't happy. He tried to twist around and grab Zim's arm, but the Irken threw him to the side. He slid to a stop, feeling his foot fall off an edge. Quickly he scrambled away - right towards Zim. He felt something solid connect with his chin, and he had a feeling his lip burst open again. He rolled over unintentionally and felt a knee land on his stomach. Hands wrapped around his throat.   
"Perhaps it's time we _end_ this game." Zim told him. Dib first tried to pry the hands from his throat, but they were too strong. Next he thought of the knife hidden in the side of his boot. He brought his leg up, bending the knee and hoping Zim wouldn't find it strange. He reached a hand out, at first clawing at Zim's face. Getting nowhere with that and growing desperate to breathe he finally reached out for his boot. His fingers brushed the edge of it, Zim's claws tightened, Dib pulled his knee up, suddenly aware that he had tears coming from his eyes, either that or blood...at this point he wouldn't have been surprised.   
And then the claws seemed to loosen just slightly. Maybe Zim was tired, maybe he'd rethought his move. Dib didn't care. He used the extra centimeter of room and stretched all he could. His hand slid into his boot, grabbing the knife handle. He pulled it out, getting a better grip on it as he did. Then he quickly brought it towards the alien. Zim gave a loud yell and moved away. Dib gasped in a huge breath. It was then that he realized the knife had been left in Zim's side. He heard the Irken growl, heard him take a step closer and start to give a war-cry. Out of desperate instinct, Dib kicked out both his legs as hard as he could, straight up. He felt a foot connect with something. A clang sounded next to him and he lunged for it, cutting his hand on the knife but succeeding in getting it.   
He threw the knife with all his might to the left of him. There was silence, then a clanging that sounded from below...He breathed a small sigh of relief that it had gone over the edge. He knew he wasn't strong enough to keep it for his own. The least he could do was make sure Zim didn't have it.   
He felt a foot pound into his stomach, and he tried to get up and crawl away. He heard footsteps following him. They sounded deliberate, evil....and for a second Dib was more afraid of those footsteps then the creature that made them. His hand hit a wall. He moved sideways only to be hit with another wall. Turning back the way he'd come, he scrambled furiously in that direction. He didn't realize at first that the footsteps had stopped. His hand went off an edge. He backed into the corner the two walls made. If this was a dead end, that meant....   
"You're _trapped_, worm-child." Zim gloated. "Trapped like the disgusting, **inferior** piece of meat _you are_."   
Dib's pulse sped up. So did his breathing. He was shivering so bad he could hear his boots clicking quietly against the floor. He heard his own breath, too. Quivering and wavering with each inhalation and exhalation. He felt ill. He was sure he was going to throw up. He couldn't do that...Imagine the humiliation of dying that way. Dying?   
"oh god..." he whispered.   
"**God** cannot save you _now_." Zim stated firmly, his tone full of more malice than Dib had ever heard. Suddenly his hair was being pulled again, tilting his head back. His first thought was his exposed neck and another knife. Then he felt that hot air on his face again, smelled the heavy scent of the Irken's breath.   
"Your life is in _my_ hands now." Zim assured him. Dib's head was released, and he heard Zim step back. His mind shut down. His muscles reacted on their own. He lunged forward with a loud yell, and for one brief, glorious moment he felt stronger than Zim, stronger than the entire world. He felt _nothing_ could _touch_ him.   
And then a fist slammed into his stomach. His arm was grabbed and he was spun around and sent right back to the corner, smashing into the metal wall and sliding down it to the ground. He held his shoulder. Being jerked around like that had hurt it. His muscles began to tremble even more. They were out of ideas. His brain was no help. It was hiding in the corner of his mind in a puddle of it's own fear induced waste. It clogged everything else. All Dib could do was shake.   
The cruelest thing of all was how heightened his senses were _now_. He'd thought they were good before, but now he heard every little sound. All his own movements, even down to his sore joints squeaking in protest of the tremors. He heard Zim's breathing, sped up with the thrill of a hunt..and an impending kill..   
He heard the slight rustle of the Irken's clothing. He would even have sworn he could hear the Irken's heartbeat - so strong, so unwaivering, so unlike his own right now...   
And he heard every piece of machinery. Every whir and whistle and whoo and beep and crack and strain of metal. Even the ones below this level..and they sounded so close..What if they were?   
A footstep sounded. It was insanely loud in Dib's ears. Another one. He felt Zim's breathing and heartbeat increase more as he grew closer, or maybe he was confusing Zim's body with his own. He was so disoriented...   
A small, evil chuckle began, enveloping Dib's senses, calling his mind to cry out for an end to this. Something bad would happen. He knew it would. The alien was going to win. Zim was going to kill him..   
'Never....' a small part of him whispered. The small part of his soul that housed his fighting spirit. It was bruised and buried and over-run with the emotions of every other part, but it was not giving up. It stood and shouted, echoing through Dib's entire body.   
'I will never surrender to this!'   
And Dib lunged out again, believing in nothing more than that voice. But this time he didn't lunge toward Zim. This time he jumped straight off the walkway. Air raced past him as he fell. It seemed as if it went on for hours. And in his mind he replayed all the times he'd told the Irken that he would never give in. And he hadn't. This may not be a victory for himself, but it was his own choice. It was _his_ way, _his_ control....and that meant Zim hadn't won.   
Something seemed to wrap around him and a warmth pressed against his back. There was an abrupt stop and he felt his insides slam against the front part of his body as a loud metallic CHING sounded. He felt cold metal against his cheeks and hands as his body met the floor.   
And then his mind went as black as his vision.

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(AN) Originally, I had thought of adding more to this story, but I think I kinda like leaving it off right here.


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